Thursday, February 25, 2016

This week’s
guest bloggers are ”The Grandkids” and they have some wise words to share. We had a few days together and their sweet
spirits and active minds always come up with some awesome phrases. Truth and
wisdom truly comes out of the mouths of babes.
Here are just a few of the gems from the past week.

The oldest
is the illustrator for my first two children’s books. We spent many hours at
work while she was here. She is talented and young enough to be confident in
her abilities. She also knows her own mind.

We took her
shopping for her birthday. She picked out an outfit in about five minutes. The
skirt was the same brand and style as two she already owned. Running her hand
across the rack she stated, “I want to collect all of these.” I can relate. I
feel the same way about a couple pairs of shoes that I own – one red pair and
one black pair. I want a pair in every color!

She is also
confident in her artwork. When asked if she could draw a particular item or
scene she would think for a moment and then smile and say, “Yes, I can do
that.” When asked if she thought the picture needed anything else she would
often say, “No, this is good enough.” And it was!

The middle
child proved to be my own personal fashion consultant! At four years-old, she
appreciates all pretty things. Eyeing and admiring my limited assortment of
necklaces, she was pleased when I offered to let her wear one. Still, she
continued to comment, “That big jewel necklace is so special.” In other words,
“I would so love to wear the big jewel necklace, but I don’t think you will let
me.” The big jewel necklace was actually a prism tied to a string hanging
alongside my necklaces. Of course I let her play with it. I’m a grandma!

She approved
of my red high heels and disapproved when I opted not to wear a necklace. “Why
aren’t you going to wear a necklace? What earrings are you going to wear? Why
don’t you know!” She’s right, you know. I could put forth a little more effort
to accessorize.

The little
guy didn’t have much to say – at least not that we could understand. When we
stopped to pay attention, we discovered that he was communicating more clearly
than we thought. My favorite was when he would point to his oldest sister and
say, “Gaggie!” Her name is Maggie.

What did I
learn from the Grandkids?

A –
Self-doubt is learned behavior.

B – A little
effort can produce big results.

C – If we
pay attention we may find that others are telling us more than we first
thought.

Have a great
day and as my grandkids would say, “Believe in your abilities, try a little
harder, and pay attention to what others are attempting to communicate.”

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Why do you exercise?
Is it for the joy, the pure pleasure of the experience? I am a runner. I am not
certain I have ever felt the Runners’ High. It eludes me. It might be a myth. I
have, however, felt good after a workout. I have felt fantastic while doing other activities because running helps make me strong enough to enjoy them.
Hence the phrase, “I don’t love running. Running loves me.” I run to make my
life better.

I often find
myself dreading the daily run. (Perhaps I should dub it the Sporadic Run
because that is often more descriptive.) Recently I flopped down on the living
room floor and had a pep talk with myself regarding the reasons I needed to go
for a run on that very day. I had to employ my most coercive techniques before
I reluctantly agreed that I would feel better after the run than if I lazed
away on the sofa for the afternoon. I got off the floor and went for my run and
I felt better the rest of the day.

I had a
conversation with a couple the other day. I guessed they were in their
mid-sixties. Both were in very good physical condition. They mentioned that
they go to the gym several days a week. “It’s the best feeling you’ll ever
have! And it’s the best $20 you’ll spend all month!” Really?

First - I
would like to know the name of that gym that only costs $20 per month! It would
be a lot more expensive for me because there is travel involved.

Second – The
best feeling in the world is doing something I love with my grandchildren, or
maybe eating chocolate! Both of these things are better if I run. I have
greater endurance to spend time with my grandchildren, and … well, chocolate
consumption has less guilt attached if I run.

For me, the
joy usually comes after the run. Sometimes it is immediate as in, “Yay! We’re
done!” Often the joy comes when I am doing something different like waterskiing
or eating chocolate.

Not all
satisfaction or reward in life is immediate. We usually have to wait a time for
the payoffs. Exercise is no different. Be patient. Wait for the joy!

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tipsand visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share? Post it in the comments below.

Friday, February 12, 2016

I found a
recipe for slow cooker Crème Brûlée from Dessert For Two and decided to give it
a try. I had never made Crème Brûlée before. In fact, I was only introduced to
this richly decadent dessert a few years ago. My husband LOVES it, so when I
stumbled upon this recipe I had to give it a try! The huckleberries, of course,
were my own addition.

The recipe
was surprisingly easy! I whisked it
together and let it cook for 2.5 hours in the crock pot. After it chilled for
several hours I grabbed my handy dandy torch that I use in my dental lab and
caramelized the sugar. I felt rather chef-like! Follow the easy instructions
and you can’t go wrong!

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Meet Kimbre, she is 27 years old. She has 3 boys and is
expecting her 4th in May 2016. Kimbre and her husband spend a lot of
time not only raising their children in Christ, but helping to raise other
children to know Him through their church’s AWANA Club. Kimbre is starting a
new chapter of her life as a “stay at home” mom. She is eager to share what she
has been learning in this new part of her life.

“Oh for
Clean Sake”

Never have I
claimed to be a great house keeper or even a good house keeper, for that
matter, but always thought that I was at least decent. When I was still
working it was easy to shrug off a messy house as my husband and I both worked
40 plus hours a week. Well, now that I stay at home there is no excuse for my
lack of effort.

My husband
was out of town this week for work and I thought, wouldn’t it be so awesome for
him to come home to a spotless house. Ha! What did I do all week? Work on
client websites and binge watch How I Met Your Mother, oops. So here it is
Friday and the house is a disaster. I put on my best cleaning lady sweats and
rubber gloves and get down to it.

Remember how
I said I wasn’t even a good house keeper, well I decided today that I wasn’t
even decent at it as I started in on my kitchen. My husband has this horrible
need to always keep oil in his deep fryer even though it doesn’t have a lid. Because
he wasn’t home I decided I was going to empty it. I pull the basket out and put
it in hot soapy water, then I go to pour out the oil into a container to throw
away when I discover… a dead mouse floating in the oil! Blah. After disposing
of the nasty creature and start the fryer to soak I pulled out the microwave to
find a field of mouse droppings. We live in the country so I guess I shouldn’t
be too surprised, but I guess that’s what I get for not cleaning that part of
my kitchen more often.

After this horrifying cleaning experience, I have decided
to spend an hour a day cleaning a specific room. This is on top of the daily
dishes and laundry that have to be done, of course.

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

So you want to be a runner? Bravo! You’ve probably put some
thought into this and weighed a lot of pros and cons. Trust me when I tell you
that the pros far outweigh the cons. Don’t let the naysayers get you down – and
there will certainly be naysayers. Just remember, most of them have never tried
to run. A runner will never tell you not to run. A runner will applaud you, as do I! Here are
three tips you’ll need as you begin running.

1 – Get Over
Yourself! Worrying about what others are thinking while you are running is
fruitless.

“I don’t want anybody
to see me trying to run.” Well, for those of you who are hanging onto this
excuse, I have some news for you. NOBODY
is looking at a runner and thinking this … “Boy, that runner sure does look
stupid.” Most of them wish they were so brave, motivated and strong … Read More

2 – Get Over Your
Fear! Beginning running can be scary, I will admit. There are so many unknowns. You might wonder if running is something you
should even try. What if it hurts? What
if I’m not very good at it? What if I
don’t love it? Having questions is no reason to avoid trying. My mother used to tell me, “You’ll never know
unless you try.” Well, I tried and now I
know … Read More Excuses

3 – What to Wear.
Shoes are the most important piece of equipment for any runner. You will find that runners spend more time
talking about their shoes than their running playlists, favorite smoothie
recipes, or even the weather. You can
begin without a fancy new pair, but if you plan to continue running it would be
wise to visit a running store and get a good fit. The right shoes may cost a little more, but
they will be worth it and your feet will thank you! Socks will take some experimentation. Some runners don’t wear any. Others like them thick. The rest of your
attire is up to you. There is no need to purchase a new wardrobe before
beginning. Runners can wear anything that keeps them comfortable. Here are a few ideas …

Friday, February 5, 2016

You won’t
believe how easy this Two Ingredient BBQ Sauce is to prepare. I like it best over Hillshire Farm’s Lit’l Smokies,
but it can even make everyday hotdogs taste gourmet. If you want to try the hotdogs, cut them into 2-inch pieces and let them soak
up the sweet and sour goodness in a slow cooker. Your friends will be begging
for your secret recipe. Are you ready for it?

Two Ingredient BBQ Sauce

1 Cup
Prepared Mustard

1 Cup Grape
or Currant JellyMeasure
equal parts mustard and any red jelly of your choice into a saucepan or
slow cooker. Give them a stir. You might be skeptical at first.

Warm over low heat,
stirring occasionally. As the jelly melts the mixture will slowly begin to meld
and you will have a smooth BBQ sauce in which to simmer your choice of meaty finger
foods. *For sweeter sauce, increase the jelly by 1/4-1/2 cup.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

My name is Kimberly, I am 24 years old and mother to two
sweet little girls. I'm married to an amazing man and we live in a little town
in Idaho. I enjoy crafting, reading, running and baking! I have an Etsy shop
where I sell handmade cards, and I am currently in the process of starting my
own blog. We have one dog and three chickens. We dream of having our own farm
someday (hence the name of my shop and blog The Farmhouse Dream) with
lots of animals, and our 12 children (No joke, that's how many kids my husband
wants. Pray for me please).

Prioritizing the 'Important' Things

“I have a really good friend who I always call to go
snowmobiling, water-skiing, hunting ... you know the really important things in
life...”

I was sitting in church when I heard these words. The same
church I always go to, just in a different building in a different town. As the
speaker said these words the congregation laughed with him as though to say,
'You're so funny. We all know these aren't the important things in life'.

Hearing these words got me thinking about how we often treat
these things as the important things in our lives. How often does that
television show, that conversation, that text message, or that shopping trip
you had planned two weeks ago become that ALL important thing? When do these
(sometimes meaningless) tasks get more of our time than our families? How often
do we tell our children (and/or spouse) 'hang on, just a minute, we'll do that
tomorrow or next week' while continuing to do what we are doing and never
really focusing on them and what they may need at the time? Our actions never
really change.

We need to re-prioritize our lives and focus on what really
IS important. Not just what is important to us, but our family and our Heavenly
Father as well.

We need to realize
that we need to slow down and enjoy the little things. We need to take time
with our children playing 'kitchen', reading stories and coloring in those never
ending Disney coloring books (Seriously we just colored four pictures of Bambi
... Another one? Oh, all right.) because that is what they NEED us to be doing
instead of the never ending list of laundry, cooking, cleaning, baking, etc.
that we THINK we need to be doing. For our children those little things that
are annoying, or a nuisance to us, are the BIG things to them. Have you ever
heard the quote by Catherine M. Wallace, “Listen earnestly to anything your
children want to tell you, no matter what. If you don't listen eagerly to the
little stuff when they are little, they won't tell you the big stuff when they
are big, because to them all of it has always been big stuff.” I love this
quote! When I hear it I also think of how it applies to what they want to do
and not just what they say. Our children need to have these memories
of us (Mom and Dad) doing what they want to do, playing dress up, reading their
bedtime stories, and making mud pies ... because at the end of the day the mud
from the pies washes away and all we're left with are the memories (and photos
if you remember - not my strong suit).

When I take a look at my own personal life I can see myself
focusing on things that are of little importance to my family and my Heavenly
Father. I will admit that I am human though, and I do get caught up in the
things of the world. But I know that I can change that, it just takes time and
the ability to admit that it is something that I need to work on. The important
things in life aren't how many times we went snowmobiling last winter, or how
many elk we successfully hunted in the span of our lifetime. The important
things are the memories we make with our families, the time we spend with our
Heavenly Father, and making the world a better place for our children to live
in. We need to be the examples they deserve when it comes to what is
important in life.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

If you haven’t already heard, I make a mean batch of
cookies. I’m not boasting – it’s true. The reason my cookies are so good is
that I have perfected them over time. If you want to do something well, you
have to stick with it. Anybody who bakes
cookies on a weekly basis will eventually be a very good cookie baker.

The same holds true of any project or practice. Take
crafting, for instance. I’m not usually a fan – partly because I haven’t taken
the time to learn how to paint or cut out wood and partly because I have
another job that is very similar to crafting in that I work with my hands. It’s
technical and tedious and I am very good at it because I have spent years doing
it. In an attempt to combine my technical skills with creativity I have designed
my own beaded bookmarks. The first effort was a little boring.

They have evolved
and the current designs are much more satisfactory than the first.

Several years ago I was working for a doctor and as he
celebrated an anniversary of the opening of his practice he said, “I remember
that day. I came to work and I sat down and waited for the phone to ring.”

How often do we do the same? In my case, I published my first book and thought my life would magically change. My books would appear in
large stores and readers would buy them up by armfuls, right? None of that happened. I began blogging and
supposed readers would flock to my site because I had so much to say. Doesn’t
simply having a Twitter account “get the word out?”

The truth is … we have to work for success. None of it
happens magically. There may be some steps to follow that will be more
effective than others, but even those have to be climbed – consistently. If the
first tweet doesn’t bring followers, be assured that Twitter is not broken. You’ll
need to work a little harder, a little smarter and a little more regularly. If
your online store doesn’t empty its virtual shelves the first time you post an
item, keep posting. If you want someone to read your blog, you’re going to have
to tell them about it.

If anyone wants to know, I’m going to keep baking cookies
because I’m good at it. I’m going to keep crafting because practice makes
perfect and I kind of like the bookmarks. I’m going to consistently share my
regular blog posts and other pursuits so the people that want what I have to
offer can find it.

And if you want those cookie recipes … they can be found on
my Recipes Page.

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Today's training tips examines when to take time off. While I am an advocate of enduring pain and discomforts. I
also know there is wisdom in caution. The tricky part is discerning when to go and when to stop during a
workout or training plan. I wrote an entire book about recognizing what kind of
discomfort you are experiencing. Today’s discussion deals with knowing when to
take time off.

I recently began following a training plan to help me be
more consistent in my running. Unfortunately, the weather in Idaho in January
is not consistent. The only consistent thing in Idaho’s weather is change. I postponed a run on a sunny 45 degrees day
because I was extra busy and knew I would have more time the next day. To my dismay, the following day was dumping heavy
wet snow! (We pray for precipitation around here, so I can’t complain about the
snow – only the timing!) I have endured snowy runs in the past. In fact, I
quite enjoy them. However, I spent last summer with an injury that nagged me for six months, so I decided not to risk injury on the slick and snowy roads. I
am happy to report that today I am injury free!

When should you take time off?

If weather conditions indicate injury is likely.

If you have an injury that is aggravated by working out (Sore muscles are not an injury!)

If your injury is not worsened by your work out (Not sure? Ask your doctor)

If you have new running shoes! (Breaking them in is a fallacy. If the shoes fit, you’ll love your first run in them)

If you are breathing.

Of course, there are other excuses that have nothing to do
with physical abilities and injuries. Lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of
a running buddy and more have an impact on our dedication. Keep visiting on
Tuesday’s to get motivated and find more ways to keep moving forward!

Tune in every Tuesday for more training tipsand visit my Training Tips page to find all the tips you may have missed.

Question: Do you have a training tip you would like to share? Post it in the comments below.

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